1968 NHL Amateur Draft Pick
Don Grierson
Selected by
Montreal from North Bay (NOJHL)
6-foot-0, 185 pounds
Right-hand shot
Right Wing
Pre-Draft Statistics
| 1966-67 | North Bay |
NOJHL |
40 |
13 |
20 |
33 |
103 |
| 1967-68 |
North Bay |
NOJHL |
48 |
52 |
43 |
95 |
143 |
Pre-Draft Notes
Named to NOJHL All-Star First Team in 1967-68. ... Led NOJHL in
goals in 1967-68. ... Served as captain of North Bay Trappers (NOJHL) in 1967-68.
Canadian • Born June
18, 1947 in Toronto, Ontario • Hometown: North Bay, Ontario
NEVER PLAYED IN NHL
After the Draft
-
Loaned by Montreal organization to Denver (WHL) in November 1969.
- Played five games for 1969-70 Montreal
Voyageurs team that won AHL regular-season title.
-
Claimed by Hershey (AHL, Boston organization) from Montreal in 1970
Reverse Draft.
-
Traded by Muskegon (IHL) with Bob Pate to Port Huron in exchange for
Bob Howard in February 1971.
-
Won IHL Turner Cup with Port Huron in 1971 and 1972.
- Selected
by Dayton Aeros in 1972 WHA General Player Draft, the first draft in
WHA history, February 1972.
- Signed WHA contract
with Houston in May 1972.
- Scored for Houston in
the first-ever WHA regular-season OT shootout, held as an experiment
since Houston and Minnesota were playing in the first-ever game at
the St. Paul Civic Center on Jan. 1, 1973.
- Won WHA AVCO World
Trophy with Houston in 1974..
- Inducted into the North Bay (Ontario) Sports Hall of Fame in 1991
for both hockey and fast-pitch softball.
Miscellaneous
Full Name:
Donald James Grierson
Post-Draft Teams: Houston (CHL); Denver (WHL); Montreal (AHL); Muskegon, Port Huron (IHL); Houston (WHA); Baltimore (AHL); Baltimore (SHL); Erie (NAHL)
Notable: Had only four fingers
on right hand, having lost his index finger in a hunting accident.
Coaching Career: Named Baltimore (SHL) player-head coach,
replacing Larry Wilson, during the 1976-77 season and was still with team when it
folded on Jan. 31, 1977 .
Career Beyond Hockey: Returned to North Bay after his retirement and played competitive
fast-pitch softball for 20 years -- posting a .338 career batting average. He
was a key member of the local Fraser Tavern men's fast-pitch teams that won back-to-back Ontario AA
provincial championships in 1985 and 1986. He won the North Bay Hall of
Fame's Al Knapp Memorial Trophy for contributions to local softball and
baseball in 1988.
| Total Selected: | 24 |
| Forwards: |
13 |
| Defense: |
8 |
| Goaltenders: |
3 |
| Major Junior: |
16 |
| College Players: |
4 |
| Canadian: |
22 |
| USA Citizens: |
2 |
| U.S.-Born: |
1 |
|
European: |
0 |
| Reached NHL: |
10 |
| Won Stanley Cup: |
2 |
| Hall of Fame: |
0 |
| All-Star Game: |
2 |
| Year-end All-Star: |
0 |
| Olympians: |
0 |
| Picks Traded: |
1 |
